MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday it had not imposed any controls on its border with Belarus and that integration with the country was a priority for Moscow.
The Kremlin was responding after Belarus said it suspected Russia was trying to restore a formal border zone between the two countries in violation of agreements on freedom of movement.
The Kremlin said that while it had established "border zones" in three Russian regions next to Belarus to monitor the flow of people, it was not enforcing any controls on the citizens of Russia or Belarus.
"There are not and could not be any impact on citizens of Belarus and Russia (from this)," the statement said.
The measures were designed to monitor the movements of citizens from countries other than Russia and Belarus, the Kremlin said.